Chervil Pesto / Pesto au cerfeuil

Coming off of such a difficult winter, our deck garden has really been a saviour. Everything is so lush and green, you can’t help but want to sit out in such a magical spot. One of the most delightful parts of the garden so far has been my favourite herb growing – chervil. We took a trip to Ritcher’s Herbs and picked some up, along with marjoram, Genovese basil, Thai basil, garlic chives, lemon gem marigolds, lavender and French tarragon. Chervil is a delicate herb, most often seen in French cooking. It has a slight anise flavour; I would describe it as a cross between basil, French tarragon and the loveliest Italian parsley you’ve ever eaten. Everything else is growing wonderfully – the tomato plants are basically out of control, but we’ve been able to eat the most of the chervil so far.

A pesto seemed like a natural for this herb and so I whizzed one up – only took me about five minutes total. It is so savoury, with a strong cheese-like flavour and the hint of the unknown, while being like the thing you already know so well. It would be perfect on grilled veggies, sauteed tofu, boiled new potatoes or our fried gnocchi. We used toasted sunflower seeds to keep it nut-free and allergy-friendly, but pine nuts would be just as well if you’d prefer. I am actually partial to alternatives to pine nuts in pestos, as the last time I ate them, I got the so-called pine mouth.Chervil Pesto Makes ~1 cupPrep Time: 5 minutesTotal Time: 10 minutes

About

We here at The Leafy Cauldron believe food should be life affirming. We can do better! Started in 2011 as passion project to share a love of Harry Potter and vegan food, we've now branched out to focus on fun, fresh and innovative recipes that also happen to be allergy-friendly with zero compromise when it comes to taste and texture.

Dissatisfied with some common attitudes in vegan cooking, we decided to start a log of our own kitchen adventures. You’ll find fun and fresh recipes here presented in a to-the-point fashion. I promise to never, ever use the words “real food”.

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